If you are a Small Business customer, find additional troubleshooting and learning resources at the Support for Small Business site.

This article describes how ADM files work, the policy
settings that are available to manage their operation, and recommendations
about how to handle common ADM file management scenarios.

Note We recommend that you use Windows Vista to manage the Group Policy infrastructure by using a central store. This recommendation holds true even when the environment has a mix of down-level clients and servers, such as computers that are running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. Windows Vista uses a new model that employs ADMX and ADML files to manage Group Policy templates.

If you must use Windows XP-based or Windows Server 2003-based computers to manage the Group Policy infrastructure, see the recommendations in this article.

Introduction to ADM files

ADM files are template files that are used by Group Policies to
describe where registry-based policy settings are stored in the registry. ADM
files also describe the user interface that administrators see in the Group
Policy Object Editor snap-in. Group
Policy Object Editor is used by administrators when
they create or modify Group Policy objects (GPOs).

ADM file storage and defaults

In the Sysvol folder of each domain controller, each domain GPO
maintains a single folder, and this folder is named the Group Policy Template
(GPT). The GPT stores all the ADM files that were used in Group Policy Object Editor when the GPOs
were last created or edited.

Each operating system includes a
standard set of ADM files. These standard files are the default files that are
loaded by Group Policy Object Editor. For example, Windows Server 2003 includes the following ADM
files:

System.adm

Inetres.adm

Conf.adm

Wmplayer.adm

Wuau.adm

Custom ADM files

Custom ADM files can be created by program developers or IT
professionals to extend the use of registry-based policy settings to new
programs and components.

Note Programs and components must be designed and coded to recognize
and respond to the policy settings that are described in the ADM file.

Note Administrative Templates are available under either
Computer or User Configuration. Select the
configuration that is correct for your custom template.

Click Add.

Click an ADM file, and then click
Open.

Click Close.

The custom ADM file policy settings are now available in
Group Policy Object Editor.

Update ADM files and timestamps

Each administrative workstation that is used to run Group Policy Object Editor stores
ADM files in the %windir%\Inf folder. When GPOs are created and first edited,
the ADM files from this folder are copied to the Adm subfolder in the GPT. This
includes the standard ADM files and any custom ADM files that are added by the
administrator.

Note Creating a GPO without later editing that GPO creates a GPT
without any ADM files.

By default, when GPOs are edited, Group Policy Object Editor
compares the timestamps of the ADM files in the workstation’s %windir%\Inf
folder with those that are stored in the GPTs Adm folder. If the workstation’s
files are newer, Group Policy Object Editor copies these files to the GPT Adm folder, overwriting
any existing files of the same name. This comparison occurs when the
Administrative Templates node (computer or user configuration) is selected in
Group Policy Object Editor, regardless of whether the administrator actually edits the GPO.

Note The ADM files stored in the GPT can be updated by viewing a GPO
in Group Policy Object Editor.

Because of the importance of timestamps on ADM file
management, editing of system-supplied ADM files is not recommended. If a new
policy setting is required, Microsoft recommends that you create a custom ADM
file. This prevents the replacement of system-supplied ADM files when service
packs are released.

Group Policy Management Console

By default, the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) always uses
local ADM files, regardless of their time stamp, and never copies the ADM files
to the Sysvol. If an ADM file is not found, GPMC looks for the ADM file in the
GPT. Also, the GPMC user can specify an alternative location for ADM files. If
an alternative location is specified, this alternative location takes
precedence.

GPO replication

The File Replication Service (FRS) replicates the GPTs for GPOs
throughout the domain. As part of the GPT, the Adm subfolder is replicated to
all domain controllers in the domain. Because each GPO stores multiple ADM
files, and some can be quite large, you must understand how ADM files that are
added or updated when you use Group Policy Object Editor can affect replication
traffic.

Use policy settings to control ADM file updates

Two policy settings area available to help with management of ADM
files. These settings make it possible for the administrator to tune the use of
ADM files for a specific environment. These are the "Turn off automatic updates
of ADM files" and the "Always use local ADM files for Group Policy Editor"
settings.

Turn off automatic updates of ADM files

This policy setting is available under User Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Group Policy in Windows Server 2003, in Windows XP, and in Windows 2000. This setting may be applied to any Group Policy-enabled client.

Always use local ADM files for Group Policy editor

This policy setting is available under Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Group Policy. This is a new policy setting. It may be successfully applied only to Windows Server 2003 clients. The setting may be deployed to older clients, but it will have no effect on their behavior. If this setting is enabled, Group Policy Object Editor always uses local ADM files in the local system %windir%\Inf folder when you edit a Group Policy object.

Note If this policy setting is enabled, the Turn off automatic updates of ADM files policy setting is implied.

Common scenarios and recommendations

Multilanguage administration issues

In some environments, policy settings may have to be presented to
the user interface in different languages. For example, an administrator in the
United States may want to view policy settings for a specific GPO in English,
and an administrator in France may want to view the same GPO by using French as
their preferred language. Because the GPT can store only one set of ADM files,
you cannot use the GPT to store ADM files for both languages.

For
Windows 2000, the use of local ADM files by Group Policy Object Editor is not
supported. To work around this, use the "Turn off automatic updates of ADM
files" policy setting. Because this policy setting has no affect on the
creation of new GPOs, the local ADM files will be uploaded to the GPT in
Windows 2000, and creating a GPO in Windows 2000 effectively defines “the
language of the GPO”. If the "Turn off automatic updates of ADM files" policy
setting is in effect at all Windows 2000 workstations, the language of the ADM
files in the GPT will be defined by the language of the computer that is used
to create the GPO.

For administrators that are using Windows XP and
Windows Server 2003, the "Always use local ADM files for Group Policy editor"
policy setting can be used. This makes it possible for the French administrator
to view policy settings by using the ADM files that are installed locally on
his or her workstation (French), regardless of the ADM file that is stored in
the GPT. Note that when you use this policy setting, it is implied that the
"Turn off automatic updates of ADM files" policy setting is enabled to avoid
unnecessary updates of the ADM files to the GPT.

Also, consider
standardizing on the latest operating system from Microsoft for administrative
workstations in a multi-language administrative environment. Then configure
both the "Always use local ADM files for Group Policy editor" and "Turn off
automatic updates of ADM files" policy settings.

If Windows 2000
workstations are being used, use the "Turn off automatic updates of ADM files"
policy setting for administrators and consider the ADM files in the GPT to be
the effective language for all Windows 2000 workstations.

Note Windows XP workstations may still use their local, language
specific versions.

Operating system and service pack release issues

Each operating system or service pack release includes a superset
of the ADM files provided by earlier releases, including policy settings that
are specific to operating systems that are different to those of the new
release. For example, the ADM files that are provided with Windows Server 2003
include all policy settings for all operating systems, including those that are
only relevant to Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional. This means that only
viewing a GPO from a computer with the new release of an operating system or
service pack effectively upgrades the ADM files. As later releases are
typically a superset of previous ADM files, this will not typically create
problems, assuming that the ADM files that are being used have not been
edited.

In some situations, an operating system or service pack
release may include a subset of the ADM files that was provided with earlier
releases. This has the potential to present an earlier subset of the ADM files,
resulting in policy settings no longer being visible to administrators when
they use Group Policy Object Editor. However, the policy settings will remain active in the GPO.
Only the visibility of the policy settings in Group Policy Object Editor is affected. Any active
(either Enabled or Disabled) policy settings are not visible in Group Policy Object Editor, but
remain active. Because the settings are not visible, it is not possible for the
administrator to view or edit these policy settings. To work around this issue,
administrators must become familiar with the ADM files that are included with
each operating system or service pack release before using Group Policy Object Editor on that
operating system, keeping in mind that the act of viewing a GPO is enough to
update the ADM files in the GPT, when the timestamp comparison determines an
update is appropriate.

To plan for this in your environment, Microsoft
recommends that you either:

Define a standard operating system/service pack from which
all viewing and editing of GPOs occurs, making sure that the ADM files that are
being used include the policy settings for all platforms.

Use the "Turn off automatic updates of ADM files" policy
setting for all Group Policy administrators to make sure that ADM files are not
overwritten in the GPT by any Group Policy Object Editor session, and make sure that you are using
the latest ADM files that are available from Microsoft.

Note The "Always use local ADM files for Group Policy editor" policy
is typically used with this policy, when it is supported by the operating
system from which Group Policy Object Editor is run.

Remove ADM files from the Sysvol folder

By default, ADM files are stored in the GPT, and this can
significantly increase the Sysvol folder size. Also, frequent editing of GPOs
can result in a significant amount of replication traffic. Using a combination
of the "Turn off automatic updates of ADM files" and "Always use local ADM
files for Group Policy editor" policy settings can greatly reduce the size of
Sysvol folder and reduce policy-related replication traffic where a significant
number of policy edits occur.

If the size of the Sysvol volume or
Group Policy-related replication traffic becomes problematic, consider
implementing an environment where the Sysvol does not store any ADM files. Or
consider maintaining ADM files on administrative workstations. This process is
described in the following section.

To clear the Sysvol folder of ADM
files:

Enable the "Turn off automatic update of ADM files" policy
setting for all Group Policy administrators who will be editing
GPOs.

Make sure that this policy has been applied.

Copy any custom ADM templates to the %windir%\Inf folder.

Edit existing GPOs, and then remove all ADM files from the
GPT. To do this, right-click Administrative Templates, and
then click Add/Remove Template.

Enable the "Always use local ADM files for Group Policy
Object Edit" policy setting for administrative workstations.

Maintain ADM files on administrative workstations

When you use the "Always use local ADM files for Group Policy
editor" policy setting, make sure that each workstation has the latest version
of the default and custom ADM files. If all ADM files are not available
locally, some policy settings that are contained in a GPO will not be visible
to the administrator. Avoid this by implementing a standard operating system
and service pack version for all administrators. If you cannot use a standard
operating system and service pack, implement a process to distribute the latest
ADM files to all administrative workstations.

Note Because the workstation ADM files are stored in the %windir%\Inf
folder, any process that is used to distribute these files must run in the
context of an account that has administrative credentials on the
workstation.

Note Windows XP does not support editing GPOs when there are no ADM files in the Sysvol folder. In a live environment, you must consider this design limitation.